Now See Hear: An Aural Taste of the New Twin-Turbo Porsche 911 Carrera [Video]

Andrew Wendler

Sep 10, 2015

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There’s a saying among Porsche 911 purists that there’s no greater hater of the newest 911 than the owner of an older-generation 911. For evidence of this theory, one need look no farther than Porsche’s recent announcement that the 2017 911 Carrera and Carrera S have joined the growing fraternity of sports cars relying on forced induction as a means of keeping power and efficiency on the upswing. Although we can’t say the decision comes as a complete surprise, change can be a bitter pill to swallow when it involves fiddling with one of the longest-running naturally aspirated legacies in the automotive universe.

To ease the transition, Porsche points out that the Carrera’s twin-turbo 3.0-liter six produces 370 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque, bettering the output of the previous, naturally aspirated engine by 20 horsepower and 41 lb-ft. The Carrera S performs the same trick, its twin-turbo 3.0-liter extracting 420 horsepower and 368 lb-ft, improvements of 20 and 43 respectively over the naturally aspirated engine in the outgoing Carrera S. Initial data points to improvements in efficiency as well, although EPA numbers are not yet in.

Numbers aside, it’s the unmistakable, back-of-the-throat, rpm-dependent thrum/howl that has elevated the naturally aspirated flat-six that for decades has helped create Porsche fanatics in the first place. Those concerned whether the 2017 Carreras will continue in the sonic tradition of their forbears are advised to check out this video of the 2017 model playing tag on a typically scenic and mountainous road. While the percussion-heavy soundtrack works to obliterate the engine noise, there is a moment where the driver hits the “exhaust” button on the console, letting the twin-turbo sing a tune that doesn’t stray too far from the original.